French Macarons

Not the dense coconut version of a cookie, no, these are the French version. Tiny, light, crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside bites of yumminess. Typically filled with creamy fillings, or jam (like raspberry) French macarons are the perfect treat. I took a class with Internationally known pastry chef Ciril Hitz and then tried my hand at home.

The ingredients are simple, the execution...not so much.

Egg whites, almond flour, confectioners sugar...

sift the confectioners sugar and almond flour together

beat the egg whites until they have stiff peaks and then fold them into the flour mixture. At first it looks like cottage cheese, but keep folding and soon you will have a thick, shiny batter.

Pipe the batter onto a baking sheet

Bake for 10-12 minutes and pray that the little "feet" appear...that crunchy little band at the bottom of the cookies.

Let them cool while you make a filling. I made lemon curd-basically melted butter with lemon juice, lemon zest and egg yolks whisked in (in a non-reactive pan, over medium heat) until it thickens.

Put the two together and pop one in your mouth. These are my first attempt at macarons. I can see the mistakes-they are bumpy on top for one thing, but they still tasted divine. The best news of all-even the mistakes taste delicious. You can google macaron recipe's online, Martha Stewart has an easy version, or check out breadhitz.com for future classes. Have you ever made macarons? Do tell!

Macaron diagram compliments of Serious Eats